Portugal Explicado

Residence permits and EU citizen registration

People from outside the EU usually need a residence visa and then a residence permit from AIMA. EU citizens register at the town hall.

Information checked on 12 de setembro de 2026. Requirements can change. Always confirm with the official service before you start.

Who is this for

Foreigners who want to live in Portugal for more than 3 months.

Where to do it

Visa: Portuguese consulate. Residence permit: AIMA office, by appointment. Renewals: AIMA Renewals Portal. EU citizens: town hall (câmara municipal) where you live.

Step by step

  1. 1

    Choose the route

    The main routes are employment or self-employment, own income or pension, remote work for clients outside Portugal, highly qualified work, CPLP mobility and family reunification.

  2. 2

    Apply for the residence visa

    Apply at the Portuguese consulate where you live. The visa includes an automatic AIMA appointment. For remote work, average income in the last 3 months must be at least 4 times the minimum wage.

  3. 3

    Apply for the permit at AIMA

    Bring your passport, visa, proof of address, NIF and Social Security number, and the documents for your route, for example the work contract.

  4. 4

    Renew on time

    Renewals are done on the AIMA Renewals Portal.

  5. 5

    EU citizens: register at the town hall

    For up to 3 months your ID is enough. After that, you have 30 days to request the registration certificate at the town hall. After 5 years you can ask AIMA for a permanent residence certificate.

Keep in mind

  • The 'manifestação de interesse' route ended on 4 June 2024. Transition requests had to be made by 31 December 2025. New requests through this route are not possible in 2026.
  • The job-seeker visa is now only for qualified work (Law 61/2025). In September 2026 consulates do not issue it yet, because the implementing rules are missing.
  • Citizens of Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique and São Tomé and Príncipe do not pay the issue or renewal fee, but pay the intake fee.
  • The 2026 minimum income for the own-income route was not confirmed in an official source. Check with the consulate.

Sources